It is well recognized that many people, because of advancing age or infirmities, reach a stage in life where they cannot step over the usual sidewall of a bathtub for bathing or showering in the bathtub. It is possible to remove the bathtub and to install a shower system that does not require a user to step over the usual bathtub sidewall. However, a less costly solution to the problem of providing access to a shower can be found in cutting out a portion of the bathtub sidewall and providing a replacement insert that provides a much lower sidewall portion that the user can easily step through. With this arrangement the tub does not need to be removed such that the tub and the already available shower unit can be used and the entire area where the tub is located does not need to be remodeled and refinished.